Repointing your Brick Porch

Get tips on repointing your brick porch. Learn why repointing is such an important step for preserving your brick porch.

LESLIE: Edna in New Jersey wants to talk about porches[1]. What can we do to help you with?

EDNA: Well, I need to have it repaired. I think it’s called pointing or something like that. And then I also saw someone that had a metal one that they just bring in and put it in. But I just don’t know like underneath if once they take the old one I’d have to have that all cemented. And …

TOM: Alright. So first of all, Edna, you have a porch that’s made of brick?

EDNA: Yes.

TOM: And it needs to be restored because some of the mortar is falling out of the brick joints?

EDNA: Correct.

TOM: Well, I would do that. And brick is about as durable a product as you can get. I certainly wouldn’t tear it out just because it needs to be repointed. Repointing is normal maintenance for bricks.

EDNA: Oh.

TOM: And repointing refers to the process of taking the loose mortar out that’s between the bricks – just the, you know, the outside edge of it – and then pushing some new mortar in there. And masons do this all the time and it only has to be done once and it lasts a good 10 or 20 years.

EDNA: Oh, because it’s actually lasted over 40 years. So, you know, now it …

TOM: Well, you see? So that porch doesn’t owe you any money, does it, Edna?